The Basis of Architecture Is People

The Basis of Architecture Is People

Ohene Twum once said architecture can solve social issues. We asked him to break it down. His answer? The essence of architecture is people. If there were no people, there would be no need to create spaces that inhabit them. So the basis of architecture starts with listening. Listening to the homeless. Listening to those in wheelchairs who can't get around their own homes. Listening to communities never asked what they actually need. That's where it starts. Before you build anything, you have to hear someone.

Ohene Twum: An Architect Who Serves, Heals, and Dreams Forward

Ohene Twum joins us this week, and we went there. He's the architect behind some of Ghana's most meaningful projects, from the Savannah Dialysis and Maternity Hospital in Tamale, the first of its kind in Ghana's five northern regions, to markets that honor local culture and homes that prioritize dignity over luxury. He believes great architecture should never be a luxury reserved for the rich, and that dignity can live in the smallest home. We talked about what it really means to build for people, not just for profit. He shared what it was like sitting at the feet of a 125-year-old woman in Tamale, her words became the design brief he never knew he needed. We got into the tension between designing for communities and getting paid fairly. Whether rammed earth can really compete with cheap concrete. What it costs to turn down work that doesn't align with your values. And why he believes architecture is more than a noun, it's a verb, a form of action that keeps the world spinning. Part architect, part storyteller, part servant. Entirely driven by purpose. This one's deep.

Great Architecture Should Not Be a Luxury Reserved for the Rich

"Meaningful work is not always glamorous. But it is always worth doing well."Ohene Twum joins us this week to talk about what it really means to build for people, not just for profit. He designs hospitals in northern Ghana, markets that honour local culture, and homes that prioritise dignity over luxury. Part architect, part storyteller. And entirely driven by purpose.Catch the full conversation tomorrow

Can AI Replace African Storytelling?

Louise from Earcandy has seen the AI hype cycle before. She knows what it promises, speed, scale, cost savings. But she also knows what it misses: the pause, the breath, the inflection that carries a story home. In this chapter, she takes on the question everyone's asking, Can AI replace African storytelling? Her answer might surprise you.

Keeping Mother Tongues Alive, One Recording At A Time.

Louise from EarCandy has spent over 20 years in the business of language and culture, taking stories from one place and retelling them for another audience. She's localized over 1.5 million minutes of content into 28 African languages, worked with Netflix, Disney, and Paramount, and built a female-led company from the ground up. This conversation goes deep. We talk about the scramble behind the scenes, the harsh truths about the localization industry, and why mother tongues aren't just words they're identity. Louise doesn't hold back, and neither do we. This is The Salary Scramble With Lee Kasumba. Press play.